Architectural Project Director

PROJECT DIRECTOR

Company: MCG Architecture
Location: Irvine, California
Employment Type: Full-Time
Experience Level: Approximately 12–25+ Years
Recommended Base Salary: $140,000–$190,000
Estimated Total Compensation Package: $171,600–$228,600
Professional Registration: California Architectural License Strongly Preferred
Recruiting Representation: Luxus Group Recruiting | AEC Talent Partners

POSITION OVERVIEW

MCG Architecture is seeking an experienced Project Director to provide senior leadership for major clients, complex commercial projects, and multidisciplinary project teams in its Irvine, California office.

The Project Director will be accountable for client satisfaction, project scope, fees, schedules, staffing, consultant performance, design and technical quality, risk management, and overall project delivery.

This person will serve as a trusted client advisor while helping MCG strengthen its relationships with developers, landlords, retailers, restaurant groups, contractors, consultants, and other commercial real estate partners.

ABOUT MCG ARCHITECTURE

Founded in 1927, MCG Architecture is a nationally established commercial architecture firm with offices throughout the United States and architectural licensing coverage in 49 states.

The firm specializes in:

• Retail and shopping-center architecture

• Mixed-use developments

• National retail and restaurant accounts

• Hospitality and entertainment environments

• Office and commercial projects

• Self-storage developments

• Land planning and entitlements

• Building renovations and repositioning

• Tenant improvements

• Ground-up commercial development

MCG’s Irvine office supports projects throughout California and the Western Region. The team manages assignments from feasibility, site planning, and entitlements through design, documentation, permitting, bidding, and construction administration.

PROJECT WORK

The Project Director may lead projects and client programs such as:

• Large ground-up shopping centers

• Grocery-anchored retail developments

• Multi-building commercial developments

• Mixed-use destinations combining retail, restaurants, office, hospitality, entertainment, and residential uses

• National retail, grocery, restaurant, and branded-commercial programs

• Prototype management and multi-location rollout programs

• Shopping-center revitalization and façade redevelopment

• Building-shell and tenant-improvement projects

• Hospitality and office projects

• Self-storage developments

• Adaptive-reuse and commercial renovation projects

• Projects requiring complex entitlements, agency approvals, phased construction, or extensive consultant coordination

WHO THIS POSITION IS BEST FOR

This position is best suited for an accomplished commercial architect and trusted client leader who can manage multiple complex projects or a major client account.

The ideal candidate can protect project fees and schedules, lead multidisciplinary teams, develop staff, navigate difficult client and construction issues, and confidently represent MCG from the proposal stage through project completion.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the senior point of contact for assigned clients and major accounts.

• Maintain clear communication regarding scope, schedule, fees, staffing, approvals, risks, and required decisions.

• Lead proposals, contract scoping, fee development, staffing plans, consultant agreements, and project kickoff meetings.

• Direct projects from initial feasibility and site planning through entitlements, design, documentation, permitting, bidding, and construction administration.

• Manage project financial performance, including labor forecasting, utilization, backlog, fee management, additional services, and margin protection.

• Support invoicing and collection efforts when necessary.

• Assign and supervise Project Managers, Designers, Job Captains, Project Coordinators, and outside consultants.

• Balance staff workloads across multiple projects and competing deadlines.

• Conduct milestone quality reviews covering design, code compliance, consultant coordination, constructability, client criteria, and documentation completeness.

• Maintain appropriate quality-control and risk-management practices.

• Address sensitive agency, landlord, tenant, consultant, contractor, and field issues.

• Protect MCG’s contractual position while maintaining positive client relationships.

• Lead construction-administration strategy for assigned projects.

• Mentor Project Managers, Job Captains, Designers, and other emerging leaders.

• Participate in staff development, performance feedback, recruiting, and retention.

• Help improve project-delivery standards and internal operating procedures.

• Cultivate repeat business from existing clients.

• Identify opportunities to expand MCG’s services across client portfolios and the Western Region.

• Participate in strategic business-development and client-pursuit activities.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Professional degree in Architecture.

• Approximately 12–25+ years of progressive architectural experience.

• Significant experience leading commercial, retail, mixed-use, hospitality, restaurant, grocery, storage, or national-account projects.

• Active California architectural license is strongly preferred.

• California licensure may be required for candidates expected to serve as Architect of Record.

• Proven success managing complex architectural projects and multidisciplinary teams.

• Strong understanding of architectural contracts, project fees, staffing, profitability, scheduling, and risk management.

• Experience leading projects through site planning, entitlements, documentation, permitting, and construction administration.

• Strong command of quality-control and technical-review procedures.

• Ability to manage multiple teams and concurrent project deadlines.

• Strong executive-level communication, presentation, negotiation, and client-management skills.

• Experience developing repeat business, expanding client accounts, or supporting business development is highly valued.

• Working knowledge of Revit and contemporary architectural project-delivery systems.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Base salary of $140,000–$190,000, depending on experience, licensure, client leadership, portfolio, and business-development capability.

• Two performance bonuses each year.

• Employer-paid employee health benefits.

• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match.

• Paid time off and company holidays.

• Professional-development and leadership opportunities.

• Opportunities for advancement within a long-established national architecture practice.

• Estimated total annual compensation package of approximately $171,600–$228,600.

The estimated package value includes base salary, a combined target bonus modeled at 10% of salary, an estimated 4% employer 401(k) match, and approximately $12,000 in employer-paid employee health coverage. Actual value will depend on final plan terms, elected coverage, and individual and company performance.

RECRUITING REPRESENTATION

MCG Architecture has retained Luxus Group Recruiting | AEC Talent Partners to assist with this search.

Luxus Group will coordinate confidential candidate introductions, initial discussions, interviews, and offer-stage communication with MCG Architecture.

SEARCH KEYWORDS

Project Director, Senior Project Architect, Architectural Project Director, Principal Architect, California Architect, Licensed Architect, Architect of Record, Client Management, Retail Architecture, Mixed-Use, National Accounts, Ground-Up Development, Shopping Centers, Entitlements, Project Financials, Fee Management, Staffing, QA/QC, Risk Management, Business Development, Revit, Construction Administration, Commercial Architecture, Team Leadership